The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-29
A QUEER HALLUCINATiON.
Hospital Nurse Claiming a Wealthy Young
Heiress as His Wife.

a Hospital Nurse Claiming a Wealthy Young
Heiress His Wife.
New York World.
Miss Anna Alexander. young heiress of No.
"a Prospect place, Brooklyn, entered Justice
kenna's court yesterday to prosecute Francis
Higgins, a nurse at the Flatbush hospital. who
claimed to be her husband. Miss Alexander
swore that Higgins was not her husband, and
that she had never seen him before that he had
entered her house Saturday and struck her.
Higgins did not deny the charge, bat he per-
was sent to Jail and will be exam
ined to-day. Miss Alexander is an
of the firm OF Alexander Sc Ellis. lumber deal
ers, of No. Alb Flushing avenue, having died
year ago. She alone inherits her fathers large
fortune. She lives in the magnificent house
Prospect place he occupied during his life. She
rents the house furnished and boards there.
little over year ago her father. who was an
invalid, decided that he would De benefited by
entering ST Marys Hospital He went there,
and his daughter called to him daily. He
realized that he could not live and WAS taken
home to die Soon after his death Miss Alex
ander received love-letter, which was signed
Francis Higgins. AS che did not know the writer
che paid no attention to the epistle. A few days
later she received another from Higgins, who
then addressed her as his wife, and said he would
call and claim her. She turned the letter
over to Mr.. Ellis, formerly her fathers partner
Other letters arrived, and to avoid q scandal
Miss Alexander went to Europe. hoping to
cape her unknown admirer. She had idea
who he was, but on her return to Brooklyn she
again sent her letters and addressed her his
wife He called at her house several times, but
she was always out. His visits became
moving that it was decided TO lay q trap for him.
He called at the house Saturday morning and
asked for Miss Alexander He was told she
not in, and requested to call again at
o'clock He said he would do so. and prepara-
ton was made TO receive him. Special Officer
ODonnell was secreted in the back parlor. When
the door bell was runR and Higgins ushered in,
he asked for Miss Alexander and she appeared.
Come, my darling wife," he cried, II have
come to take you with me"
What do you mean, sir" demanded the
lady
Why, my dear, I thought you would well
come me" he replied.
II don't know you,n Miss Alexander said, and
Officer ODonnelI collared the Higgins
was indignant, and said he talking to his
wife, but he was taken to the Twelfth precinct
station and locked up. He had, it is said, put
his hand on the young ladys shoulder. Higgins
told Captain Folk that he was married to Miss
Alexander and said he could prove it by Rev.
FIR. Sheehy. of St Ambrose's Church, at De Kalb
and Tompkins avenue Miss Alexander said
that she, being a Protestant, would not have
been married by priest She further said she
had recollection of having met
Higgins at the hospital, though the face
was familiar. Last evening after thinking
over the matter for twentv-four hours. Miss
Alexander remembered that when she
waiting on her father in ST. Marv's Hospital,
Higgins was nurse there. This lady's friends
say that after Mr. Alexander died the daughter
was in the habit of visiting the hospital to cheer
the sick She bestowed charity on both the
tient5 and the nurses, and probably Higgius
the recipient of her favors. Until last
night he still insisted that she WAS his wife,
but then he said he might possibly be mistaken.
as her face did not look exactly like that of the
woman he married. Captain Folk said he
thought Higgins insane but at the Kings
County Hospital it was said that he was per-
his day off, and when he left the hospital he
was quite rational.